[ Hua Cheng finds him, footsteps jingling as always because of the charms and bells and chains on his boots, prepared to corner him if he has to. There's no aggression, though. No agitation. No hostility. Just the usual enigmatic, slight smirk as he - idk, cuts him off from heading out of the inn, his arms folded behind his back. ]
I think you and I need to sit down for a new talk.
[ And he unfolds his arms, pushing pushing a thing of tea to brew into his chest - it looks like it came from the village food area, and there's a broad selection of neat teas.
Yes... yesterday wasn't very good, was it? (Not being able to speak and all. Ah, but the next thing he knows, there's tea being shoved at him and--) Making me serve you again? I'm starting to feel less like a noble every time I talk to you...
(He's teasing though! And he nods, understanding.
To the kitchen they go to boil some water! And tea stuff so they can sit down in private.)
(What if I made Claude forget how to make tea! What then??
Anyway the tea of the day is... a spiced chai. Something a little stronger than the other things they've had. It's more invigorating than relaxing.
While the tea steeps, Claude starts,)
I'm sorry for the things I said last week. I didn't mean any of it and really... I'm not sure where it came from. Maybe someone used one of their stones or something on us but it doesn't change the fact that I said them and... I voted for you when I shouldn't have.
(HE WAS GOING TO CHANGE IT IF THEY FIGURED SOMETHING OUT? BUT THE CHAOS...)
[ Then he'll just make it. Until then, fuck that, he's not making the tea when Claude has made it a habit of making it. It becomes a bit of normality in its routine.
... even if Hua Cheng can't taste it, at least he'll be able to smell it.
And he lets Claude go first, patient and - amused? He has information!
First, though, he reaches across the table and... slap-pats his cheek. Not enough to really hurt him, but more to startle. ]
You're lucky I didn't kill you. [ bluntly, ] Because I've done so for less, voting included. If gege wasn't watching me when I did mine, though, I would've voted for you as well.
[ But he sits back and adds: ] Shima did it. He didn't expect the results, but he was told to pick two names and ours were the ones. Two people confirmed it for me.
As if I'd let you kill me. (He scoffs,) No one's been able to kill me yet.
(And he laughs once, as if enjoying some sort of joke all to himself, albeit, maybe one from a dark place.
(This Realm is like that place, isn't it? Always looking over one's shoulder. Death always in the back of the mind. Surviving each week. Living each day defiantly.)
No, he won't die in this place either.
Anyway. What's this about Shima? His expression...
Immediately drops when he hears that. There's just a spark in his eye, like something falling into place and making sense and he grumbles,)
That guy... So that's how he wanted to be? (Ugh.) I caught his attention a while back. I wasn't sure what to make of it... even now, I don't know.
Then let's not have a repeat performance. [ Don't bring Xie Lian into it again, goes unsaid, but surely is heard loud and clear considering that's what nearly got him slugged. He's honestly not even upset about being voted for, now that the curse has lifted, and he's settled back in. ] We might not have been in our right minds, but you're far too interesting for me to want to wipe off the face of the earth so soon.
[ An indirect apology - Hua Cheng is poor at apologies, at being sincere, so this is the closest thing that Claude will get from him. Besides, it's over with now. Pettiness is his lifeblood, but in this case, there are more important things to be dealing with, like Shima's targetting of Claude. That gets an eyebrow raised, his fingers lacing and hands folding at his stomach as he leans back. ]
Troublesome and waving everything in our faces, even as his leader was visibly affected at the end of his execution. [ A roundabout way of calling out Shima's leader. ] How did you catch his attention, Claude?
[ Because if it caught Shima's attention, who else did it draw in? What else should they be worried about? ]
[ A smile, which is more a promise than a threat - finish that in any other way, Claude, see if he doesn't cold clock you - but Hua Cheng lets him finish before he makes a move. Any, actually. He just stays seated, leaning back, one ankle propped on the other knee.
And... yeah, he gets that. ]
Hm, maybe. [ Stay tuned for memshare!
But that's all you get today on that, my dude, and he quirks an eyebrow again. ]
Well - so long as it's not going to result in someone else having a go at us, then I won't press on it right now. But apparently he picked the two of us, not knowing what would happen but deciding we were the ones for it, and was surprised with the end results. I didn't even realize it was strange that we went from getting along just fine one day, and then suddenly that.
I think he just saw my name and figured, "Why not that guy!" (No matter what happened. It would be interesting or deserved. ) I don't get why he'd pick you though. Maybe it was random. Maybe all of it was.
(And he's just reading into this too much!! But he's got an idea of what Shima is like so DOUBT)
Yeah, I didn't think anything about it either. Which reminds me, though... Xie Lian came to me because something was wrong with you.
(He was fine! He was having a perfectly good day until that moment and then Xie Lian brought up Hua Cheng was beign strange for no reason!)
Essentially throwing a dart and deciding who to throw at you, I suppose. If he wanted a distraction, well, he certainly got it. [ A click of his tongue.
But he looks at him, lazily blinking, once, at the way he brings up Xie Lian in a different tone. Not that he's particularly surprised, knowing that gege asked Claude about the situation.
... well. ]
No. He asked about how you were, last week, since I told him that you and I had tea Tuesday before everything went to shit. And instead of anything kind to say, I'm sure you can guess what my response was.
It worried him. [ San Lang doesn't make friends easily, he'd say. ]
Hmmm, we were getting along just fine before and suddenly we weren't. I can see why he'd be concerned.
I'm sorry I worried him, too.
(He still remembers when they spoke that day. That... disappointment he'd felt when he'd said some of the things he had.)
No point fussing over it now. It's over. Though, I worry about any others being given a similar choice in the future and what it might mean... Things are complicated enough here.
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w3 tuesday
I think you and I need to sit down for a new talk.
[ And he unfolds his arms, pushing pushing a thing of tea to brew into his chest - it looks like it came from the village food area, and there's a broad selection of neat teas.
Peace offering? ]
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Yes... yesterday wasn't very good, was it? (Not being able to speak and all. Ah, but the next thing he knows, there's tea being shoved at him and--) Making me serve you again? I'm starting to feel less like a noble every time I talk to you...
(He's teasing though! And he nods, understanding.
To the kitchen they go to boil some water! And tea stuff so they can sit down in private.)
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Anyways. He laughs, which is better than the stone cold murder he was threatening with his eyeball last week. ]
Why break a pattern when you've already established it? [ Not going to correct him, though, which is teasing in response.
But he doesn't immediately go to sit down, and instead tags along with Claude from Point A, to Point B, to Point C when they sit down. ]
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Anyway the tea of the day is... a spiced chai. Something a little stronger than the other things they've had. It's more invigorating than relaxing.
While the tea steeps, Claude starts,)
I'm sorry for the things I said last week. I didn't mean any of it and really... I'm not sure where it came from. Maybe someone used one of their stones or something on us but it doesn't change the fact that I said them and... I voted for you when I shouldn't have.
(HE WAS GOING TO CHANGE IT IF THEY FIGURED SOMETHING OUT? BUT THE CHAOS...)
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... even if Hua Cheng can't taste it, at least he'll be able to smell it.
And he lets Claude go first, patient and - amused? He has information!
First, though, he reaches across the table and... slap-pats his cheek. Not enough to really hurt him, but more to startle. ]
You're lucky I didn't kill you. [ bluntly, ] Because I've done so for less, voting included. If gege wasn't watching me when I did mine, though, I would've voted for you as well.
[ But he sits back and adds: ] Shima did it. He didn't expect the results, but he was told to pick two names and ours were the ones. Two people confirmed it for me.
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(And he laughs once, as if enjoying some sort of joke all to himself, albeit, maybe one from a dark place.
(This Realm is like that place, isn't it?
Always looking over one's shoulder.
Death always in the back of the mind.
Surviving each week.
Living each day defiantly.)
No, he won't die in this place either.
Anyway. What's this about Shima? His expression...
Immediately drops when he hears that. There's just a spark in his eye, like something falling into place and making sense and he grumbles,)
That guy... So that's how he wanted to be? (Ugh.) I caught his attention a while back. I wasn't sure what to make of it... even now, I don't know.
(But this seems to be the result.)
Troublesome until the very end...
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[ An indirect apology - Hua Cheng is poor at apologies, at being sincere, so this is the closest thing that Claude will get from him. Besides, it's over with now. Pettiness is his lifeblood, but in this case, there are more important things to be dealing with, like Shima's targetting of Claude. That gets an eyebrow raised, his fingers lacing and hands folding at his stomach as he leans back. ]
Troublesome and waving everything in our faces, even as his leader was visibly affected at the end of his execution. [ A roundabout way of calling out Shima's leader. ] How did you catch his attention, Claude?
[ Because if it caught Shima's attention, who else did it draw in? What else should they be worried about? ]
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It just seems like there's a story there. The two of you seem so different... it reminds me of someone I know.
(An impossible pair. A set that one never would have imagined.
Ah, yes, but... Shima. And that question? He looks away, glancing to the side, avoiding some part of what was asked before he replies,)
I... took care of someone for him. That's all.
(Well, not really. There's more to it. But it's all he wants to elaborate on now.)
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And... yeah, he gets that. ]
Hm, maybe. [ Stay tuned for memshare!
But that's all you get today on that, my dude, and he quirks an eyebrow again. ]
Well - so long as it's not going to result in someone else having a go at us, then I won't press on it right now. But apparently he picked the two of us, not knowing what would happen but deciding we were the ones for it, and was surprised with the end results. I didn't even realize it was strange that we went from getting along just fine one day, and then suddenly that.
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(And he's just reading into this too much!! But he's got an idea of what Shima is like so DOUBT)
Yeah, I didn't think anything about it either. Which reminds me, though... Xie Lian came to me because something was wrong with you.
(He was fine! He was having a perfectly good day until that moment and then Xie Lian brought up Hua Cheng was beign strange for no reason!)
Are you talking me behind my back~?
(How else did it all come up?)
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But he looks at him, lazily blinking, once, at the way he brings up Xie Lian in a different tone. Not that he's particularly surprised, knowing that gege asked Claude about the situation.
... well. ]
No. He asked about how you were, last week, since I told him that you and I had tea Tuesday before everything went to shit. And instead of anything kind to say, I'm sure you can guess what my response was.
It worried him. [ San Lang doesn't make friends easily, he'd say. ]
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I'm sorry I worried him, too.
(He still remembers when they spoke that day. That... disappointment he'd felt when he'd said some of the things he had.)
No point fussing over it now. It's over. Though, I worry about any others being given a similar choice in the future and what it might mean... Things are complicated enough here.